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Sydenham to Bankstown Corridor Strategy
Potential plans:A project led fine grain public domain and station integration study for the Dulwich Hill precinct
Final reportDecember 2016
panovscott
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This report has been prepared by:Anita PanovAndrew ScottJustine AndersonLili Chan
Contents
i Introduction 2
ii Our Approach 3
iii Executive Summary 4
1. Background 5
2. 7 Potential Projects 7
3. Next steps 18
4. Appendix 1 - Maps 19
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Fine grain beyond the lanewayThe term fine grain has over the last few decades become synonymous with laneway development. The application of the term in this manner has limited validity in the Dulwich Hill station precinct. Instead, we should consider the promotion of fine grain urbanism as that based around support for small shops and services, of civic spaces oriented towards pedestrians, of the integration of public artworks and community lead interventions in the public domain, of well designed outdoor furnishing, of the integration of trees, habitat, biodiversity, and water sensitive urban design.
Historically, the appropriation of small spaces fronting laneways within a city’s central business district came about as a cheaper alternative to the high cost of those premium spaces fronting the main streets. The smaller lane orientated spaces, generally of lesser amenity, allowed uses, such as that of a boutique, bar or business to be established with relatively low cost and so less risk than would otherwise be allowed in the city. This collectively resulted in a great diversity of uses within a small space, and so an incredible sense of vibrancy.
There are cases of such modes of urban rejuvenation occurring in a similar manner outside of the physical confines of the laneway. Over the last decade a program called Renew Newcastle has seeded a great diversity of startups, practices, businesses, galleries and retail spaces along Hunter Street, the main street of Newcastle. Working principally with the large stock of decaying shopfronts on the maligned main street, the program has reinvigorated and begun a small scale, but significant, change in the character of the city.
In this study we have developed some suggestions for how development controls could be developed, and the community could be engaged, to enable fine grain urbanism to be fostered within new amalgamated development sites. The intent being to have a similar impact on the quality of urban space that has occurred in laneways, or the decaying shopfronts of Newcastle.
i. IntroductionOverviewThe focus of this study is the public domain and the public benefit.
panovscott were asked by the Government Architects Office to undertake this study as part of a program along with 4 other emerging architecture and landscape practices. Our remit was to apply design thinking to the analysis of each of the 10 station precincts along the Sydenham to Bankstown Metro Corridor. Our findings are to be considered for incorporation in the Revised Sydenham to Bankstown Corridor Strategy.
Other practices invited were Aileen Sage Architects, Andrew Burns Architects, Tribe Studio Architects, and Tyrrell Studio.
The study was undertaken with the involvement of the following people:Peter Poulet & Olivia Hyde at the Government Architects OfficeSimon Bennett and Eva Klaic of the Department of Planning and the EnvironmentVince Berkhout of Transport for New South WalesJamie Erken and Peter Failes of the Inner West CouncilMitchell Noble of Canterbury Counciland Nick Chapman, Greenway Place Manager
Depictions of public domain upgrade works, the proposed metro station and increased density within this report, including images prepared in conjunction with this report, are indicative only. Visualisations relating to these elements have been developed for the purposes of discussion and should not be relied upon in any manner.
ObjectivesThis study is intended to provide a public domain led, integrated urban vision, for the Dulwich Hill Station precinct. It is to be informed by a fine grain analysis of the surrounding urban fabric, the existing public domain network, the impact of the currently proposed future built form, and the opportunities presented by the emerging station locations and configurations.
The study is focused on improving connectivity, lifting the quality of open space, especially streets, and delivering a vibrant, engaging and precinct specific public domain.
Whilst not the central concern, this study will provide alternates to currently proposed zonings and building heights where changes can deliver a clear public benefit.
More specifically, we have investigated and sought to enrich the arrival and departure experience to / from the station – eg where do I shop, connect with other transport modes, and connect to the rest of the precinct.
Notions of modal hierarchy have informed the analysis and proposed projects, being the preferencing of the experience of pedestrians, then cyclists, then other forms of public transport, and finally motorists who engage with the immediate station precinct principally via kiss and ride, and park and ride.
Opportunities for additional, good quality and accessible open space have been sought.
MethodologyThis report was prepared over a 5 week period in late September and October, 2016.During that time 3 workshops were undertaken with the Department of Planning & Environment, the Government Architects Office and the strategic/urban planners of the relevant Councils. Feedback from the Department of Planning & Environment and the Government Architects Office was incorporated during December, 2016.
In the course of the study, Council offered background relating to community surveys, recent approvals, and current strategic planning work. On 17 October, Peter Failes and Nick Chapman offered their time to walk the precinct and impart their knowledge of the place, and their thoughts on future opportunities for change.
Within the limitations of the program, this study was undertaken in the manner of Human Centred Design, as developed by IDEO.org & The Gates Foundation.
DULWICH HILL STATION PRECINCT - 1943 AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH DULWICH HILL STATION PRECINCT - 2016 AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH ENLARGED DULWICH HILL STATION PRECINCT - 2016 AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH
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Design is an extension of what already existsWe are great fans of Willian Gibson’s observation that:“The future is already here, it is just not very evenly distributed”In this we acknowledge that there is wisdom in what exists, most especially those things which have been developed iteratively over time.
As the ones who propose how places should be altered, it is vital that we understand as much as is possible the good and bad in what exists, and how it came to be.
Design is the determination of a system, not an outcomeAt the scale of a precinct plan there is a limit to the knowledge of place which can be comprehended, let alone the cognition required to consider all of the alternative manners in which the place could be modified.
In such an instance the only responsible strategy is to think of a design intervention as that of a system, or an infrastructure. This would mean that any project developed by an authority over a certain size should be left in an unfinished state, for the community who will use it to determine its exact form, material and charcater, over time. In this sense a street could be thought of as a garden;A wall is a canvasA footpath is a seatA tree is a swingA platform is a stageA fence is a billboard.As Marcus Westbury put it in Creating Cities:
“Good zoning, transport, infrastructure, street furniture and all those other ‘hardware problems’ are a vital part of the good planning of a healthy city. But so too is the less tangible but far more immediate need for people with ideas to be able to do things”
Size MattersSpaces, when defined carefully and with exactitude, can have the curious characteristic of not allowing one specific use, but inversely allowing a wonderful multitude of disparate uses. This to us is the central beauty of design, architecture and urban planning. Consider for a moment the space of a garage. It is quite narrowly defined and though it offers the opportunity to house a car it could also be said that:A garage is where the band practicesA garage is where Apple, the most valuable company in the world beganA garage is a spare roomA garage is a caféA garage is storage for all those thing I do not need right nowA garage is a workshopA garage is a rehersal roomand so on, limited only by the imagination and interest of those who would appropriate the space.
Boundaries and difference“...from Aristotle to Arendt, the ideal public realm has appeared one in which people react to, learn from, people who are unlike themselves”Richard Sennett
This urban frission is not limited to Manhattan. By making connections across boundaries and deemphasising borders which define places of different character within the precinct, the exant diversity will be enlivened.
In areas of multiple transport corridors and governmental boundaries, any possibilities for connections which would better enable the desire lines of pedestrians and cyclists should be sought. In a similar manner public open space should be accessible and visually connected to the surrounding street network.
StreetsAccording to William H Whyte:
“The street is the river of life of the city, the place where we come together, the pathway to the centre.”
The largest and most intensively used public space in any urban environment is the street. The historic development of the street, its width, its planting, its drainage are the DNA of a place.
Well designed modifications to existing streets, especially in areas blessed with a wide existing street network, are generally the most effective ways of improving the character of a place.
“The more successfully a city mingles everyday diversity of uses and users in its everyday streets, the more successfully, casually (and economically) its people thereby enliven and support well-located parks that can thus give back grace and delight to their neighborhoods instead of vacuity. ”Jane Jacobs
Housing AmenityWe should all dwell in places of high amenity. Dense urban environments which accomodate many and diverse dwellings are best established in locations which can offer appropriate natural light, outlook, private and public open space, and public transport. The recent prevalence of dense dwelling development around transport nodes has resulted, in some cases, in substandard living conditions. In most instances it is difficult to live comfortably facing south above a busy road, or immediately adjacent a noisy freight rail corridor.
Topography, hydrology and biodiversityThis principle is a reinforcement and expansion of the first. Natural patterns exist in even the most dense urban environments. Craig Burton has written the below about Sydney, but which is applicable to any urban environment:
“The nature of the geological strata, acted upon by tectonic forces and weathering during different climatic periods has resulted in diverse landscapes from the coast to the hinterland. These indigenous landscapes have influenced the nature of human occupation, which in turn has constantly modified them to suit its purposes.”
As more and more of us inhabit cities, as our cities cover more and more of the environment we will need to find strategies to bring biodiversity into our cities, or it, and our experience of it, will be lost.
ii. Our Approach
WILGA AVENUE, DULWICH HILL
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Questionpanovscott was asked to advise on ways to retain, protect and enhance the fine grain public domain within the precinct as it relates to the mooted Metro station and associated increased dwelling density.
Short AnswerThis design study establishes 7 demonstrative projects which embody principles required for the integrated enhancement of the public domain. We call them potential projects as they each contain mechanisms which we hope will encourage community involvement to determine the eventual character of the place, at any particular moment in time.
1. The Hill is a new civic space with a park topography and character. It provides a means of connecting Wardell Road, the mooted Metro concourse and the linear park and Activeway to the west with the provision of on grade but concealed car parking for the immediate precinct. The open nature of the Hill will allow a sense of multiplicity in use; with minimal furniture, the space can be appropriated by the community at different times for different things. We imagine wandering about a produce market late one Sunday morning.
2. Renew Dulwich Hill is a strategy for the orderly development of the amalagamated block immediately to the north of the Metro entrance and the Light Rail stop, and which would enjoy a frontage to Jack Shanahan Reserve. By establishing specific development controls it is possible for small scale, affordable make and retail spaces to be established, perhaps not in the first moment, but eventually, iteratively.
3. Gateway Park is a new park & playground with good connectivity to Dulwich Hill town centre and the adjacent Primary School, and will facilitate a critical missing link for the Greenway. The playground should be designed with community involvement and the park incorporate the newly established bushcare site.
4. The Wrong Side of the Tracks suggests a through site link for the area of the proposed Hercules Street dwelling development and for representations to be made to Transport for NSW to enable a formalised on-grade pedestrian crossing of the Light Rail line. Given the good visibility and low light rail speeds in the area, families currently use this point as an informal crossing, given the alternate to direct access between the school and home is a lengthy circuitous walk. The community have already determined this point as a crossover, it is prudent for the relevant authorities to formalise that relationship.
5. A Cultivated Entrance will enable a crucial connection between the street network and the single current substantial public open space in the precinct, the Jack Shanahan Reserve. The terracing of the existing berm to the north east of the entrance could facilitate a community garden, to the south west, beneath the brush-boxes, the berm park would be more reticent, offering an inhabitable scenic backdrop to the existing magnificent stand of trees
6. Bike Hub - utilising the disused rail line, the Greenway could be continued with relatively shallow grades and link with the Sydenham to Bankstown Corridor Activeway at the Terrace Road Bridge, also facilitating a connection within the local street network to the Cooks River.
7. Rehabilitating the Cooks would enable the reactivation of the southern part of the precinct and strengthen the critical connection between the station and the North Earlwood open space, as well as the potential urban expansion zone. A more appropriate public use of Council land on the northern bank of the river would increase biodiversity in the region, improve the quality of the water, and provide a substantial new public space; a space where the community can gather at the river’s edge.
iii. Executive Summary
DULWICH HILL PRECINCT - LOOKING NORTHNOTE: PROJECT 7 IS LOCATED FURTHER SOUTH
ON COOKS RIVER’S EDGE
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Dulwich Hill attracted 17% of submissions, or
double the average across the corridor.
1. BackgroundCommunityIn the past 4 years there have been 3 different community consultation processes relating to the Dulwich Hill station precinct public domain. These being:1. The Department of Planning and the Environments 2016 Sydenham to Bankstown Urban Renewal Corridor Strategy.2. The Inner West Council’s 2015 Planning for Tomorrow’s Dulwich Hill as informed by the 2014 Imagining Marrickville Community Survey.3. The Inner West Council’s 2012 Community Surveys relating to the Public Domain Planning for the Dulwich Hill Station and Dudley Street Upgrade
DP&E Corridor Consultation Summary 2016The following is a summary of the issues raised as part of the Corridor consultation process: Improve and provide infrastructure to support growth (21%)Improve and provide more open space (4%)Traffic congestion & public transport improvements needed (7%)Concerned about increases in density & height (25%)Provision of affordable housing (19%)Sustainability (17%)Support for redevelopment (2%)Inadequacy of consultation process (5%)
DP&E Corridor Consultation quotations:“Within the past year, there have been a number of new developments within our local area which show little regard for public amenity... I am very concerned that the nature of these developments will be repeated many times over in the new rezoned area, and will completely destroy the existing character of Dulwich Hill.”
“The Sydenham to Bankstown covers 11 precincts and proposes just 9,925 jobs for 36,000 homes – or just one job for each three new homes. This means less local jobs for the huge influx of residents. This is bad city planning – we should be encouraging new jobs away from the city centre – and different approaches for different regions for the same railway line. The strategy should seek to preserve more existing industrial areas for new clean technology jobs or more mixed-use style developments.”
“Increasingly, new families have come to the area because of the wonderful schools, parks, and large backyards. The new plans provide no funding for such infrastructure and services to help cope with an influx in residents. There has been no plan for additional public or green spaces, sporting facilities, schools, childcare or healthcare services and the Sydney Metro will not be built for 10 years.”
“Dulwich Hill is home to a colony of endangered bandicoots – only one of two such colonies in Sydney (the other being at North Head in the electorate of the Premier). These bandicoots live in and alongside the light rail corridor. Studies have shown that bandicoots use the under-floor areas of historic houses and also of course need natural habitat in which to operate…”
“There is a long waiting list for childcare places at the Deborah Little Early Learning Centre on Macarthur Parade and your plan does not even mention childcare. This childcare centre will become even more out of reach for local residents.”
“The sole piece of substantial open space for the precinct is Jack Shanahan Reserve which does not even have a playing field. In this regard, membership at the local Hurslstone Park Wanderers Soccer Club has ballooned to 600 from 200 or so over the last few years and there is already ongoing pressure on facilities as a result. A small additional open space area next to Jack Shanahan Reserve is insufficient to help cater for a 37% increase in housing.”
Planning for Tomorrow’s Dulwich HillThe Inner West Council’s excellent Planning for Tomorrow’s Dulwich Hill analysis offers a comprehensive and insightful characterisation of the community at this moment in time. The detail within has informed this study and will stand the Council in very good stead for the development of a series of precinct masterplans which wil be responsive to the needs of the community. Associated with Tomorrow’s Dulwich Hill, the Marrickville Community Vision 2023 has been developed which establishes a set of priorities for the precinct:In 2023, Marrickville still feels like homeIn 2023, the Marrickville community remains welcomingIn 2023, businesses are confident and responsiveIn 2023, the Marrickville area is a creative communityIn 2023, the environment is healthyIn 2023, local communities work closely with Council,which is ethical, effective and accountable
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Figure 3: Social media advertisements
Online survey results
A full report on the survey results was made available on the Department’s website in November 2015. (http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/~/media/Files/DPE/Reports/sydenham-to-bankstown-online-survey-results-2015-11.ashx). A summary of the results of this survey is provided in the following section.
In total, 770 people completed the survey. The respondent’s location is shown in Figure 3 below. The largest number of respondents who completed the survey lived in the Dulwich Hill, Marrickville, Campsie and Bankstown precincts.
Figure 4: Location of respondents to the online survey
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PLACE CASE STUDY: WILGA AVENUEWilga Avenue is a short cul-de-sac street adjacent Dulwich Hill Station. It contains 11 houses of a similar size and arrangement to the street. The residents have instigated a verge planting program of a delightful scale and character.
PLACE CASE STUDY: SIDEWAYS DELI CAFEAt the 5 way intersection on Constitution Road, a small widening of the footpath at the roundabout has offered the spatial characteristic which has in turn allowed a much loved neighbourhood cafe with outdoor seating to flourish.
1. Background
PLACE CASE STUDY: BLACKWOOD AVENUEIn Blackwood Avenue, adjacent the Public School is a house on the high side of the street with a garage on the frontage and above a terrace with a Bougainvillea edge. A similar arrangement of spaces exists in Ness Avenue, south of the Station.
PLACE CASE STUDY: WARDELL AVENUEThe more recent shoptop housing along Wardell Road is of greater quality than the earlier development adjacent the station. These buildings offer a consistent street wall, with generous awnings, and will enable a new, more urban scale to be established in the precinct.
CharacterThe following photograghs, plans and sections record 4 places within the precinct which offer a particular and characteristic inhabitation of the street edge.
7Potential Project No. 1The Hill; an appropriate civic space as the station forecourt
1. Work with Transport for New South Wales to develop a stacking strategy for the new southern station entrance, parking spaces, and station services building that will enable on grade connections to Wardell Road in the east and the Green linear park along Ewart Lane in the west. The design should be implemented to allow the continued habitation of the properties to the south of Ewart Lane in the short term. Development controls should be developed for the eventual amalgamation and development of those properties which would enable a land bridge to span Ewart Lane and form the Hill.2. Allow for the development of 247-249 Wardell Road in accordance with Appeal 2016/160264 whilst encouraging a more appropriate ground floor use to integrate with the proposed station entrance. 3. The eastern part of Ewart Lane should remain in its current location and configuration to service those properties fronting Wardell Road. Opportunities for connections between Wardell Road and the Hill via through-site links should be investigated and would allow pedestrian movement from the parking associated with the Hill to the main street fine grain retail.4. The ground floor use of the development fronting the Hill should be zoned B1 Neighbourhood Centre, with a maximum frontage width established in a site specific DCP. Those tenancies at ground floor will front both the Hill and Ewart Street.5. Work with the community to determine how the Hill should be furnished, what specific uses it will enable, and how it will be able to change over time as the demographic of the precinct changes.6. The western part of Ewart Lane should be similarly retained with minor modification. The lane will offer on grade connection to the Station concourse via the lift from the west, whilst in the east a gentle ramp from Wardell Road will allow equitable access.7. The Hill will enable the continuation of the Sydenham to Bankstown Corridor linear park and cycle access way.8. To the north of the station precinct, the topography rises to Dulwich Hill town centre.
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PROJECT LOCATION AERIAL VIEW LOOKING SOUTH
Potential Project No. 1
EXISTING CONDITION WITH POSSIBLE PROPOSED METRO CONFIGURATION - LOOKING NORTH ACROSS EWART STREET & EWART LANE
PROPOSAL - LOOKING NORTH ACROSS EWART STREET & THE HILL
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The Hill; an appropriate civic space as the station forecourt
1. Possible configuration of proposed Dulwich Hill Metro Station with southern entrance extending towards Ewart Lane.
2. The topography at this new entrance is such that the Metro concourse is nearly 7m above grade at its southern interface. There is little width between Ewart Lane and the rail alignment, creating a pinchpoint for pedestrians, cyclists, commuter, residential and service vehicles and resulting in a poor built interface at the new entrance and overshadowing of adjacent properties.
3. Land within the rail corridor is currently underutilised and inaccessible.
4. Transport for NSW car parking spaces, whilst deemed a necessary commuter facility, are accommodated on grade, an area which has potential to be used more diversely by the community.
5. Ewart Lane is a one-way single carriageway which provides access to properties fronting onto the lane, the commuter carpark and the rail corridor, and services the rear of properties fronting onto Wardell Street.
6. The approved development at 247-249 Wardell Road will restrict provision of a generous public entrance to the Station from Wardell Road. This consent has the potential however, if modified, to activate the Metro station entrance through greater permeability along its ground floor, northern elevation with cafe or retail uses.
7. It is proposed to work with Transport for NSW to develop a stacking strategy for the new southern station entrance, parking spaces and the required station services building that will enable on grade connections to Wardell Road in the east and the Green linear park along Ewart Lane in the west. New public open space (‘The Hill’) is draped over these services buildings, enabling a singular character to the pictured Hypar Pavilion (adjacent).
8. The Hill will enable the continuation of the Sydenham to Bankstown Corridor linear park and cycle activeway, relieving the congestion evident under a non-stacking strategy.
9. The western part of Ewart Lane should be retained with minor modification. The lane will offer on grade connection to the Station concourse via the lift from the west, whilst in the east a gentle ramp from Wardell Road will allow equitable access. Recreational uses can be provided on the former carpark.
10. The eastern part of Ewart Lane should remain in its current location and configuration to service those properties fronting Wardell Road. Opportunities for connections between Wardell Road and the Hill via through site links should be investigated and would allow pedestrian movement from the parking associated with the Hill to the main street fine grain retail.
PROPOSAL - STATION SOUTH & EWART STREET WITH THE HILL OVEREXISTING CONDITION WITH POSSIBLE PROPOSED METRO CONFIGURATION - STATION SOUTH & EWART STREET
HYPAR PAVILION AT THE LINCOLN CENTRE
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9Potential Project No. 2Renew Dulwich Hill; providing affordable make and retail spaces for the precinct
1. Continue Bedford Crescent along the Jack Shanahan Reserve frontage to join with MacArthur Parade.
2. Introduce a low kerb to the new Crescent with verge planting and permeable paving at possible vehicle crossover points.
3. Develop controls which ensure amalgamated site development includes a podium with maximum tenancy frontage widths of no more than 6m, with a 4m max opening.
4. Establish a B1 Neighbourhood Centre zone to allow those street frontage spaces to be either individual garages, offices, or retail spaces.
5. Investigate methods to provide affordable rents for these spaces for example the fixing of rents for a period of 5 years, at a rate commensurate to that of a single car garage.
6. Establish residential dwellings above the podium in accordance with SEPP65, an appropriately determined apartment type mix, and the 10% low income housing target.
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PROJECT LOCATION AERIAL VIEW LOOKING NORTH
Renew Dulwich Hill; providing affordable make and retail spaces for the precinct
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EXISTING CONDITION WITH POSSIBLE PROPOSED METRO CONFIGURATION - LOOKING NORTH ACROSS BEDFORD CRESCENT
PROPOSAL - LOOKING NORTH ACROSS BEDFORD CRESCENT
1. Possible configuration of proposed Dulwich Hill Metro Station with northern entrance aligned with current Light Rail access.
2. Bedford Crescent carparking and kiss and ride zone services both the existing Dulwich Hill Light Rail and Railway Stations.
3. Dear Delicious Cafe, though fronting Wardell Road, takes advantage of its long yard along Bedford Crescent, turning the corner of this retail strip and providing a unique cafe experience away from traffic.
4. A narrow and curved lane provides pedestrian access to MacArthur Parade, though with limited visibility to/from adjacent streets, and no visual or physical connection to Jack Shanahan Reserve.
5. The existing Dulwich Hill Light Rail Station is at a lower level than Bedford Crescent, accessed via lift and stair.
6. Jack Shanahan Reserve is currently an island, locked in by the existing rail corridors and development patterns. The typical dwelling development pattern adjacent a heavy rail corridor is frontage to street, back yard to rail, with high fence as a buffer.
7. Keith Lane - a narrow service lane and thoroughfare to MacArthur Parade.
8. The proposal extends Bedford Crescent as a link street to MacArthur Parade in lieu of Keith Lane. This provides a drop and ride through-traffic opportunity and improved passive surveillance of and further accessibility to Jack Shanahan Reserve.
9. The proposal introduces a low frontage to any future development, creating small scale, flexible use spaces with widths of no more than 6m and a 4m maximum width opening. This allows flexibility of use which may change as the precinct grows. A similar built form exists along Ness Avenue, with elevated terraces over garage/studio buildings at street level.
10. With the introduction of the Green corridor and the removal of adverse acoustic conditions, what was the rear frontage gains greatly in amenity. Here, an opportunity exists to connect beyond, to the Reserve via a new ramp to the existing Light Rail crossing.
PROPOSAL - PODIUM, TERRACE AND RETAIL OR OFFICE USEPROPOSAL - PODIUM, TERRACE AND GARAGE USE
EXISTING CONDITION WITH POSSIBLE PROPOSED METRO CONFIGURATION - SECTION THROUGH BEDFORD CRESCENT
CHAPTER FIVE ESPRESSO, AND ADJACENT GARAGE, REDFERN
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1. The Hercules Street precinct has been identified for renewal under the Corridor Renewal Strategy. Along with allowing the Greenway Missing Link between the Hercules Street Light Rail overpass and Jack Shanahan Reserve to be realised, the Draft Structure Plan identifies a new or enhanced public open space midway along the length of Hercules St, facing the light rail corridor.
2. The Greenway currently ends abruptly at Hercules Street, a number of barriers preventing access to the removed crossing which was deemed unsafe due to its location just below the crest of the overpass. (Refer image top LHS.) There is no immediate alternate to cross Hercules Street.
3. Dulwich Hill Public School, with over 500 students, occupies a large block bound by Hercules Street, Kintore Street, Blackwood Avenue and the Light Rail Line.
4. Access within the Light Rail corridor is limited due to safety considerations, including to the Bushcare Regeneration site.
5. The proposal makes a new pedestrian friendly and tree lined street along the Light Rail corridor, allowing the missing Greenway Link to be realised as a publically accessible linear park. This street continues from Consett Street at the north to the southern elbow of Hercules Street, near Jack Shanahan Reserve.
6. As an alternative to the location proposed in the Draft Structure Plan, a new public open space is made on the triangle of land between the extension of Consett Street, Hercules Street and the Light Rail corridor. Designed in consultation with the community, this park and playground can provide a better distribution of open space where a deficiency currently exists, optimise the available north facing orientation for public amenity and augment the Greenway, whilst providing a buffer to the allocated bushcare area.
7. The additional housing proposed by the Draft Structure Plan can be clearly separated from the public open spaces by the extension of Consett Street, ensuring good public access is available whilst the amenity can be shared.
8. It is proposed to continue the Greenway along the western verge of Hercules Street to a new crossing at the Consett Street intersection, a location with improved visibility and potential for appropriate traffic calming devices. From here, the cycleway can follow the new street then rejoin the Light Rail corridor at the eastern edge of the park.
Potential Project No. 3
PROJECT LOCATION AERIAL VIEW LOOKING NORTH
Gateway Park, an entrance to the Hercules Street precinct
PROPOSAL - LOOKING WEST ACROSS THE LIGHT RAIL CORRIDOR TO HERCULES STREET OVERPASS
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GREENWAY BARRIER, HERCULES ST, DULWICH HILL
JUBILEE PARK GLEBE
WESTERN SYDNEY PARKLANDS
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1. The typical dwelling development pattern against the former heavy rail corridor described earlier is evident in the Hercules Street precinct.
2. The Light Rail corridor is currently inaccessible to the public, and has been identified to be utilised in completing the Jack Shanahan North Greenway Missing Link; its implementation given a ‘medium priority’ status.
3. This remnant parcel of Transport for NSW controlled land has no public frontage and could be included in future renewal of the precinct, allowing greater access along the eastern edge of the Light Rail corridor to Jack Shanahan Reserve and widening of Blackwood Lane for improved access to Dulwich Hill Public School.
4. The convergence of Blackwood Avenue and Blackwood Lane at their intersection with the Light Rail corridor provides a natural location for a new pedestrian crossing.
5. The playgrounds of the Public School are located to the south of the site along Blackwood Avenue.
6. The proposed reduction in height of the perimeter fencing to these grounds will augment publically accessible green space along the Greenway and connect the school yard to the surrounding neighbourhood.
7. This proposed crossing allows school students of the adjacent Dulwich Hill Public School ease of access to the Greenway and Jack Shanahan Reserve. Whilst crossings other than at stations have not yet been permitted along the outer corridor, the transition to an on-street track in the CBD provides a precedent for greater access within the same transit corridor.
8. The proposed pedestrian crossing connects Blackwood Avenue to Hercules Street via a new through-site link.
9. The proposal will establish a pedestrian friendly, tree-lined street between the light rail corridor and future Hercules Street dwellings. Extending Consett Street in the north to the southern elbow of Hercules Street, it will ensure improved public access to the Greenway.
10. The Draft Structure Plan identifies the need for Hercules Street to include a new or enhanced public open space. The proposal locates this at the precinct’s northern tip, which enjoys good solar access and the opportunity to augent the Greenway.
Potential Project No. 4
PROJECT LOCATION AERIAL VIEW LOOKING NORTH
A Missing Link, across the light rail corridor
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EXISTING CONDITION - LOOKING WEST ACROSS THE LIGHT RAIL CORRIDOR TOWARDS HERCULES STREET
PROPOSAL - LOOKING WEST ACROSS THE LIGHT RAIL CORRIDOR TOWARDS HERCULES STREET
BLACKWOOD AVENUE FENCE, DULWICH HILL
LIGHT RAIL IN A LANDSCAPE SETTING
INNERWEST LIGHT RAIL, HAYMARKET
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13Potential Project No. 5A cultivated entrance; revealing Jack Shanahan Reserve
1. Hercules Street continues to the west and the connection with Terrace Road with the retention of the stately Brushbox stand.
2. A new footpath is introduced to encourage pedestrian use of this edge to Jack Shanahan Reserve.
3. A new section of Hercules Street is introduced to offer further access and frontage to the Reserve.
4. The existing fenced off berm, a disused rail access line, should be opened and offered for community use. Given the good northern aspect, this land may be used as a terraced community garden.
5. The Freight and Metro line are combined at this site and can be seen on entry into the Reserve.
6. A section of the berm should be removed on axis with Hercules Street to allow an appropriate entrance to the Reserve. The opening should be bridged to allow the Greenway, cycle and pedestrian way to continue along the berm at high level for connection on grade at the Terrace Road Loop.
7. The existing park amenities should be relocated to the southern berm adjacent the rail line, where they can be semi-buried into the landform. Facing north with good opportunities for solar access and passive surveillance from the Hercules Street entrance, these facilities will be less likely to enable antisocial behaviour.
8. The western berm, adjacent the Brushboxes will be a shadier, cooler space in the precinct.
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1. Jack Shanahan Reserve provides much-used recreational space for Dulwich Hill youth - the skate park is complemented by seating & BBQ facilities along with informal planting and a path leading to/from the Light Rail station.
2. The only street frontage enjoyed by the park occurs between the two rail overpasses on Terrace Road; with the character of a service entrance, it is flanked by a rudimentary amenities building.
3. The northern-most rail overpass is currently unused, this portion of rail having been removed on completion of the Light Rail.
4. Hercules Street swings to the west against the raised berm of the former rail line, a line of mature brushbox trees lending an avenue quality to this edge of the Reserve.
5. The land adjacent to the Light Rail, including the disused portion of rail line, is currently inaccessible.
6. A new on grade entrance to Jack Shanahan Reserve is proposed via a single ‘cut’ through the raised berm. On axis with Hercules St, the new entrance will be flanked by north facing terraced community gardens (refer image previous page).
7. The proposal outlined in Unfinished Projects 3 & 4 provides for the continuation of Consett St and the Greenway along the Light Rail corridor. The cycleway can naturally continue along the northern, higher edge of the park, making use of this landform to separate the various speeds of movement.
8. The cycleway continues at high level across the disused rail overpass and onwards - refer Unfinished Project 6.
9. The amenities building will be relocated to the southern edge of the park, allowing the new Hercules Street entrance, along with a greener entrance from Terrace Road, to define a new arrival experience at the Reserve.
Potential Project No. 5
PROJECT LOCATION AERIAL VIEW LOOKING NORTH
A cultivated entrance; revealing Jack Shanahan Reserve
EXISTING CONDITION - LOOKING NORTH ACROSS JACK SHANAHAN RESERVE & THE DISUSED RAIL LINE
PROPOSAL - LOOKING NORTH ACROSS JACK SHANAHAN RESERVE & THE DISUSED RAIL LINE
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PROPOSAL - NEW ENTRANCE, BRIDGE OVER WITH AMENITIES RELOCATEDEXISTING CONDITIONv - HERCULES STREET & INACCESSIBLE BERM + AMENITIES BLOCK
HERCULES STREET, LOOKING AT THE BARRIER TO THE RESERVE
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1. Jack Shanahan Reserve
2. The disused northern Terrace Road overpass is currently inaccessible, and joins a small area of open space at the intersection of Terrace Road & The Parade.
3. Recognising the limitations of visibility and high local traffic usage at the Terrace Road and Ewart Street intersection, it is challenging to provide safe crossings for both the Metro corridor active transport link and Greenway cycleway.
4. Heading south from the Hercules Street Precinct, the Greenway cycleway can utilise the disused overpass to cross Terrace Road.
5. The cycleway spirals down to Terrace Road and utilises the pedestrian underpass to Ewart Street. (Refer Image Below)
6. Along Ewart Street, it is proposed for the Metro corridor link to climb gently to a new bridge over Terrace Road, parallel with the existing Metro overpass.
7. The Greenway cycleway will also climb to join the Metro corridor active transport link heading west along Ewart Street to Garnet Street. Beyond, the Greenway missing link to the existing Cooks River cycle/footbridge can be provided down Garnet Street to Tennent Parade in the short term. A future and more direct connection to the Cooks River and beyond can be made via Ness Avenue to the riverfront parklands and new river crossing at Wardell Road.
Potenial Project No. 6
PROJECT LOCATION AERIAL VIEW LOOKING SOUTH
Bike Hub, bringing together the Green and Active ways
A. EXISTING CONDITION - LOOKING EAST FROM TERRACE ROAD TOWARDS JACK SHANAHAN RESERVE
B. EXISTING CONDITION - LOOKING NORTH ACROSS EWART STREET AT TERRACE ROAD
A. PROPOSAL - LOOKING EAST FROM TERRACE ROAD TOWARDS JACK SHANAHAN RESERVE B. PROPOSAL - LOOKING NORTH ACROSS EWART STREET AT TERRACE ROAD
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16Potential Project No. 7Rehabilitating the Cooks, inhabiting the river edge
1. The Cooks River, looking downstream to the east, is tidal at this location. The river now is polluted with heavy metals and sewage, and suffers from the nutrient enrichment typical of stormwater catchments in urbanised locations.2. Extant southern bank mangroves with steel sheet piling to water’s edge. Immediately beyond is the Wills Football Ground, and across Wardell Road the cricket pitches and tennis courts of Beaman Park. 3. An on-water boardwalk, threaded carefully among the mangroves, should be implemented to connect the two existing pedestrian and cycle access points across the river, being Wardell Road and the Lang Road Pedestrian Bridge. Investigations should be made to connect the boardwalk below the Wardell Road bridge, removing the awkward and somewhat dangerous on-grade intersection. The river edge path should continue around the peninsula and Beaman Park to connect into the Cooks River Cycleway network.4. Investigations should be made into improving the the Wardell Road bridge for pedestrians and cyclists.5. The opportunity should be investigated for the last 4 holes of the Golf Course, currently difficult to access due to Wardell Road, to be returned to the historic river path. In its place a planted wetland could be established to help improve river water quality and biodiversity, and introduce a substantial new public space for Dulwich Hill. The current Tennyson Street water garden could be extended and implemented on a large scale. The transformation of this place will activate not only the northern river edge but encourage movement across the river and to the substantial, under-utilised open space on the southern bank.6. Projects which can bring the community to the water’s edge should be investigated along the Cooks River Corridor.
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PROJECT LOCATION AERIAL VIEW LOOKING SOUTH
Rehabilitating the Cooks, inhabiting the river edge
EXISTING CONDITION - LOOKING SOUTH ACROSS THE COOKS RIVER TOWARDS EARLWOOD
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1. The Marrickville Golf Course, though enjoyed by its small membership, appears an underutilised land resource in the Dulwich Hill Precinct. Though currently not physically prohibiting public access, this exclusive space- and water-intensive use, particularly west of Wardell Road, could be transformed as true public space for the precinct.
2. The Lang Road cycle and pedestrian bridge is to be shortly upgraded, improving an important link across the river and onwards connection to the Cooks River cycleway. This cycleway takes an on-road route between the river and Wardell Road, where the crossing is an awkward and somewhat dangerous on-grade intersection, until returning to the river bank on the eastern side of Wardell Road.
3. The Wills Football Ground and, across Wardell Road, the cricket pitches and tennis courts of Beaman Park form a regionally significant publically accessible sports/recreation facility.
4. The existing pattern of suburban development is of a very low scale at the park’s edge.
5. Investigations should be made into increased density in North Earlwood which would offer great amenity to dwellings with northern aspect across parkland and the River, whilst remaining within 800m of the Dulwich Hill Station. Transport Orientated Development is a great urban design principle for determining areas of potentially increased dwelling density but questions of amenity beyond access to transport must also be considered. Dulwich Hill has evolved as a series of nodes, with activity focussed across the precinct. The North Earlwood precinct falls within the walking catchment of the Dulwich Hill station, though at its edge, and sits at the boundary between Inner West and Canterbury Councils. The amenity provided at Wolli Creek through proximity to public open space and works within the riparian zone could be used as a precedent here, though at a lesser scale due to proximity to existing neighbourhoods.
6. Similar investigations could be made at the south interface of Dulwich Hill & The Cooks River.
7. An on-water boardwalk, threaded carefully among the mangroves, should be implemented to connect the two existing pedestrian and cycle access points across the river, being Wardell Road and the Lang Road Pedestrian Bridge.
8. Investigations should be made to connect the boardwalk below the Wardell Road bridge, removing the dangerous on-grade intersection. The river edge path should continue around the peninsula and Beaman Park to connect into the Cooks River Cycleway network.
9. The opportunity should be investigated for the last 4 holes of the Golf Course, currently difficult to access due to Wardell Road, to be returned to the historic river path. In its place a planted wetland could be established to help improve river water quality and biodiversity, and introduce a substantial new public space for Dulwich Hill. The current Tennyson Street water garden could be extended and implemented on a large scale. The transformation of this place will activate not only the northern river edge but encourage movement across the river and to the substantial, under-utilised open space on the southern bank.
10. Projects which bring the community together at the water’s edge should be investigated along the Cooks River Corridor.
GASP BOARDWALK, HOBART
PLANS FOR A YARRA FLOATING POOL, MELBOURNE
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New streets associated with amalgamated development sites adjacent the light rail corridor - input to be sought with regard to traffic implications and water sensitive urban design (WSUD).
Review and extend existing studies and make design propositions to encourage new habitats for existing and displaced bandicoot communities in the precinct, and to encourage community awareness.
Investigations should be made into the safety and benefits of intermediary crossings on the Inner West light rail line and representations made to Transport for NSW. At the moment, the rules for the corridor remain constrained by those drafted for heavy/freight rail; new guidelines for crossings, fences and other public domain design elements need to be made to allow a consistent application across the corridor.
Review current access and use arrangements for the Marrickville Golf Course, aiming to increase public use, make more/better connections along and across the river for walking and cycling, adopt greater areas of WSUD, and encouraging biodiversity and indigenous ecosystems.
Undertake an analysis of dwelling uplift in North Earlwood, and greater connectivity to this area of the precinct.
Work with Friends of Cooks River, Greenway, Canterbury and Inner West Councils to establish the feasibility of new types of public open space and biodiversity habitats in the Cooks River riparian zone. This may include a new on river boardwalk, returning part of the Dulwich Hill river bend into a mangrove/wetland, and the development of a hyrid natural/artificial pool to help treat the river water and bring swimming back to the river’s edge.
NEW STREETS FOR DULWICH HILL LIGHT RAIL CORRIDOR PERMEABILITY PUBLIC ACCESS TO COOKS RIVER BANDICOOT HABITAT STUDY NORTH EARLWOOD UPLIFT VISION FOR THE FUTURE
3. Next Steps
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A NODAL POINT - MEETING OF GREEN GRID-
4. Appendix 1 - MapsAerial photograph showing the adopted study area, with the 800m radiuses shown around the Dulwich Hill, Marrickville & Hurlstone Park Stations
204. Appendix 1 - MapsDepartment of Planning and the Environment Sydenham to Bankstown Corridor Strategy Draft Structure Plan which informs this study
214. Appendix 1 - MapsThe meeting of the Green Grid
224. Appendix 1 - MapsThe station precinct is a transport interchange, albeit at low volume and density offering a spectrum of modes of movement.
Light Rail
Metro + Heavy Rail
Pedestrian/Cycleway
Alternate Pedestrian/Cycleway
Bus Routes
Local Traffic
